Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

Judah Ben-Hur is the scion of a wealthy and ancient Jewish house. His father was a successful merchant who found favor in Rome. Ben-Hur, and the Hurs in general, are adherents of the Sadducee sect which ignores many of the rabbinical ordinances derived from the Torah and is tolerant of the differences of Gentiles. This open-mindedness is an important aspect of Ben-Hur’s character and is reflected in both his embrace of Roman military training near the start of the novel and Christianity at its close.

He possesses a handsomeness which is “rich and voluptuous” (61). As an adult, his most distinguishing physical features are the length of his arms and the size and strength of his hands. He is an excellent fighter, trained at the palaestra in Rome, and an expert at handling horses.

Having been wrongly condemned to death, Ben-Hur burns to avenge himself upon Rome, to overthrow the Empire and liberate both his own family and all of Judea. Most of his life is set to this purpose, especially once he believes that the Messiah will be revealed soon. In the end, Ben-Hur discovers The Meaning of Christ in Christianity, that the Messiah’s mission is spiritual, not political, and Christ will not overthrow the Empire.